The blessing of the table or food is a short prayer of blessing that is said before the meal. Although in many religious communities it is customary to bless the foodFor Christians, sharing bread is also remembering the last meal of Christ: dinnerwhich is commemorated in each Eucharist.
Find out below how and why to pray the table blessingY some examples of christian blessings
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Why bless the table before the meal?
Bless the table, it isthank the Lord for daily blessingsAnd remember that everything we have on earth is a gift from God. In the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus taught us, we ask God to “give us our daily bread“; therefore, the blessing of the table is made in response to this request.
By praying it, we are not only thanking Heaven for foodbut also by the people who have prepared itY for those who share it with us. As we pray, we adopt an attitude of gratitude, of Thanksgiving, and of charityby giving God to those who do not have the opportunity to eat their fill.
Blessing the food also means inviting Christ to the table with us, asking him to be the center of this moment of sharing.
The blessing of the table, which is said before eating, can also be complemented with a thanksgiving, at the end of the meal, to thank God for this moment.
The blessing of the table, being a brief prayer based on daily life, is a good opportunity to have a moment of prayer with the family, with the children, for example.
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How to bless the table?
There are no formal rules for blessing the table! You may pray either sing the sentence; it can be made by one of the guests, or by everyone sharing the meal.
Start and end with the sign of the cross.
After having thanked the Lord for the food, we can give him one of the people present, an event of the day or a specific prayer intention.
Examples of Table Blessings
Here are some examples of blessings, but obviously any word of praise and thanks to God can be used to bless the table.
traditional blessing
“v. Bless us, Lord, and bless these foods that for your goodness we are going to eat.
R. Amen.
v. The King of eternal glory makes us partakers of the heavenly table.
R. Amen.”
We can also sing the blessing of the table!
Other examples of blessing
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“In the name of the Father… Bless us, Lord, and bless the food that we are going to eat to keep us in your holy service. Amen.“
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“Bless us, Lord, and bless our food. Also bless those who have prepared them for us, and give bread to those who do not have it.”
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“Bless, Lord, how many today eat this bread. Bless those who made it and let us eat it together at the heavenly table.”
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“Because you feed me, thank you very much, Lord. I know there are many men who will not eat today… Give us all our daily bread.”
Blessing of the table in Latin
“Benedic, Domine, nos et haec tua dona, quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.”
Translation: “Bless us, Lord, and the food we are going to eat, through Jesus Christ our Lord. So be it“.
Find other traditional Christian prayers in Latin.